Stuart Ockleford – Head of Financial Wellbeing

I moved to this industry after I became disenchanted with Fashion recruitment – I put myself through CeMAP whilst still working. I liked sales, finance and more importantly people so thought this would be a good start. I then got a job in a London Estate agents which wasn’t really for me so I blagged (literally) my way into Coreco.

Let’s be honest, its traditionally not a diverse industry. It has definitely moved on, especially at Coreco, but the industry can be seen as ‘folically challenged CIS men in suits’. It was daunting being an openly gay guy joining the industry, but I’ve never had any issues and Coreco is definitely the right home for diversity. With the new industrywide focus on Diversity & Inclusion, I hope we, as a collective, can keep moving forward with positive steps.

The thing that keeps me in this industry is, quite simply, the people – both colleagues and clients. Being a broker is a privileged job – you have to get to know your clients inside and out to be able to give them the best advice, and for clients to share intimate details of their life is pretty major. 

It’s a great job and the industry is full of fab and inspirational people. There are companies for every type of person and personality. If I could give anyone one bit of advice, it would be to find the company that fits you best. For me, I spent a long time learning the craft and ‘cutting my teeth’, but the mortgage industry allows you to evolve, if that’s what you want. I now work as a broker, manager and am the Head of Financial Wellbeing for Coreco.